STRESS CORROSION CRACKING

Pieter Hernando
02111640000055
OUTLINES

• Description
• Characteristic
• Mechanism
• Testing Method
• Prevention
• Journal Study
Description

• Brittle failure at relatively constant tensile stress of an alloy

exposed to corrosive environment

Variables affecting stress-corrosion

cracking
• Temperature
• Solution composition and
concentration
• Metal composition and
structure
• Stress
Stresses

Stresses may be due to any source

• Applied stress
• Residual stress

The stress level at the surface triggers the process of crack initiation flaws
and other surface imperfection can act as stress raisers increasing local
stresses at the surface. Thus, corrosion attack then fabrication/welding
defects/imperfections can act as a starting point for SCC.
Residual Stresses

Due to stresses caused by heavy machining works in fabricated

article of certain alloys
• Rolling
• Drawing
• Insufficient Annealing
• Cold/hot bending
• Welding
See Jones pg 255-256 for more info
Actual Cases
Characteristic

1. Pure Metals -> Resistant to SCC

2. Existence of Static Tensile Stress
“Treshold Stress’
3. Electrochemical in nature
Anodic Current ( SCC accelerates )
Cathodic Current ( SCC prevented )
Austenitic stainless steel in MgCl2

Carbon steel in hot

carbonate/bicarbonate solution

Figure 6 Schematic anodic polarization

curve showing zones of susceptibility to SCC. [1]
Normal Mechanical crack growth rate

4. Crack Growth Rate

Corrosion only crack growth rate

5. Structure of cracks
• Transgranular Stress corrosion cracking
Through the grains
• Intergranular Stress corrosion cracking
Along grain boundaries , proceeds without regard to whether
the metal is stressed or not.
 Transgranular cracking

Intergranular cracking
6. Time to Cracking

• Greatest physical damage in stress corrosion cracking occurs at a later stage.

MECHANISM

SCC is usually divided into three stages:

(1) crack initiation

(2) Steady-state crack growth

(3) final failure.

Distinction between these stages is often difficult, since the transition

occurs in a continuous manner
MECHANISM

• Embrittlement

 Caustic embrittlement

 Hydrogen embrittlement

• Active Path Dissolution

• Film Induced Cleavage

Caustic Embrittlement
in High Pressure Steam Boilers
Carbon and low alloy steels – in the presence of caustic solutions,
nitrates, phospates, carbonates
Season cracking in Copper alloys

Due to high residual stresses caused by cold working in fabricated

articles of brass in the presence of ammonia or amines
 Hydrogen embrittlement

Hydrogen being small , dissolves in all metals and diffuse between

metal atoms in the crystal lattice

Hydrogen get Drawn

attracted to to Assists
Leads to
regions of region of fracture
local plastic
high tensile cracks of the
deformation
stress and metal
(dilated) notches
Active Path Dissolution

E.G precipitation of chromium carbide over stainless steel

Chromium concentration is low along the grain boundaries

(susceptible region) – less apssivated (anode)- corrosion occurs

Unstressed region – more passivated (cathode)

Film Induced Cleavage Mechanism
Testing Method

• Constant deformation Test

• Sustained Load test
• Slow Strain rate testing
Constant deformation Test
Sustained Load test
Slow Strain
rate testing
PREVENTION METHOD

• Lowering the stress below the threshold value if one exists

• Eliminating the critical environmental species by degasification,

demineralization, or distillation.

• Changing the alloy is one possible recourse if neither the

environment nor stress can be changed.
Prevention method

• Adding inhibitors to the system if feasible.

• Coatings

• Shot-peening

• Applying cathodic protection to the structure with an external

power supply or consumable anodes
Journal Study

• Paper Reference : Evaluation of Stress Corrosion Cracking Damage

to an API 5L X52 Pipeline Transporting Ammonia

• Author : José Luis Mora-Mendoza1, Mónica Jazmín Hernández-

Gayosso, Daniel Antonio Morales-Serrat, Octaviano Roque-Oms,
Digna Alejandra Del Angel, Gerardo Zavala-Olivares

• Year : 2016
Background

• high number of leak events in ammonia pipelines

Figure 16 Ammonia leak

located close to a
circumferential weld, at 12
technical hours from the
pipeline.
Work Order

• Metallography analysis
Three conditions required for the
occurrence of SCC were achieved
• A susceptible material.
• An environment that causes
SCC for that material.
• Sufficient tensile stress to
induce SCC. This situation was
observed by means of the
analyses performed to the base
metal
Base metal microstructure
 Work Order

• Total Repair Actions

Vertical and Horizontal displacement in the

pipelines
Work Order

• Evaluation of
the Ammonia
Pipeline
Conclusion

The leaks at the ammonia pipeline studied in the present work

obeyed to a Stress Cracking Corrosion (SCC) mechanism of brittle
type, which was the result of
• the interaction among a fragile material,
• an intermediate corrosive medium
• high residual stress levels originated from the pipeline
construction
Preventive action

• To consider studies and kinematic registers of the ground where the pipeline
is lying, in order to determine the mass movements or batter.

• To minimize the residual stresses originated in the base metal during

construction, considering also a heat treatment for stresses relief when
welding is applied.
Preventive action

• To monitor, through nondestructive techniques and tests, the

occurrence of failure susceptible zones, considering factors such
as hardness increase, metal strains and stresses rise, along with
the type of fluid transported by the pipeline.
• To identify critical areas such as welding, pipeline deviations, hits or
pipeline failures during lying, in order to follow their behavior against
conditions to which the pipeline is subjected
Corrosion Fatigue
OUTLINES

• Description
• Characteristic
• Mechanism
• Testing Method
• Prevention
• Journal Study
Description

Phenomenon of cracking in materials under the combined action of

fatigue (or cyclic) loading and a corrosive (or deleterious)
environment (gaseous or aqueous).
Repeated stressing -> accelerates the corrosive action ->
accelerates the mechanical fatigue mechanisms
Characteristic

• Both pure metals and alloys

are susceptible
• Beach Marks
Caused by differences in
microplastic deformation when
the crack propagation is
interrupted.
Characteristic

• Frequency of cyclic stress

Lower frequency leads to greater
crack propagation per cycle
Characteristic

• In any alloy system

corrosion reduces the
stress amplitude and
shorten the time or
number of stress cycle to
failure
MECHANISM

CF is usually divided into three stages:

(1) crack initiation

(2) Steady-state crack growth

(3) final failure.

Mechanism

• Anodic dissolution mechanism of corrosion fatigue

cracks initiate at the surface sites of localized concentration of
tensile strength (trenches, pits).

A crack progresses along a specific path (active path), which is

composed of specific crystal planes within the grains.
• The corrosion fatigue crack propagates by the repetitive process,
cycle of which consists of the following stages:
- Brittle passive oxide film is ruptured at the crack tip under tensile
stress resulting in exposure of fresh metal.
- The bare metal surface undergoes anodic dissolution.
- As a result of the corrosion process the crack tip surface is re-
passivated forming a new protective oxide film.

The mechanism of anodic dissolution is mainly referred to corrosion

fatigue of Carbon steels and Stainless steels in water and also
corrosion fatigue of Aluminum alloys and Titanium alloys in aqueous
chloride solutions
Hydrogen assisted corrosion fatigue

• cathodic reaction: H+ + e- = H occurring on the crack tip

surface.
The atomic hydrogen dissolves in the metal where its
ions interact with the dislocations of the crystal lattice
causing decrease of the metal ductility (hydrogen
embrittlement).
Hydrogen cracking effect is increased in harder materials
and at higher temperatures.
Hydrogen assisted corrosion fatigue may be
prevented by selection of suitable materials
and maintaining the environment solution at
neutral or basic PH (PH>6). In contrast to
anodic stress corrosion hydrogen cracking is
enhanced by Cathodic protection.

Hydrogen assisted corrosion fatigue is mainly

referred to ferritic and martensitic steels. This
mechanism also explains corrosion fatigue of
Nickel alloys, Aluminum alloys and Titanium
alloys in electrolytic and gaseous
environments.
TESTING METHOD
PREVENTION

• Isolate the environment and the material

• Alter the severity of the environment
• Apply cathodic protection
• Alter the surface characteristics of the material.
• Substitute a more resistant material
• Do not relate water or salt water corrosion fatigue resistance of
steels to ultimate tensile strength.
• Do not overlook the deleterious effects of humidity on fatigue
resistance, particularly in aluminium alloys.
• Design the components to prevent the initiation or the
propagation of cracks to a critical size.
Journal Study

• Paper Reference : Corrosion Fatigue of Road Bridges: a review

• Author : F.J. Olguin Coca, M.U. Loya Tello, C. Gaona-Tiburcio, J.A.
Romero1, A. Martínez-Villafañe E. Maldonado B, F. Almeraya-
Calderón
• Year : 2011
Background
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES
THEORETICAL APPROACHES
Conclusion

• Results from these approaches reveal that in some cases the strain
level is more significant (up to 85 times more), while in others
the corrosion level is the most significant factor (up to 11 times
more). The studies that considered the coupled corrosion-fatigue
situation, whether circumstantially or systematically, reveal
greater effects on fatigue strength, with reductions in the order of
30% when compared with the uncoupled situation
• A realistic loading history, however, has not been considered,
regardless of the approach selected (experimental or theoretical).
Future research should focus on objectively determining the
significance of the corrosion – fatigue phenomenon, potentially
proposing standard procedures for bridge structures design. Also,
realistic force histories should be considered.